Social Media Regulation: The Pros And Cons

Much of the talk about regulation of social media has been linked to misinformation and intentional disinformation. Two major groups have reacted much differently to this. On one hand, politicians, government and regulators who got busy drafting laws and on the other, civic society groups with journalists, who were either busy trying to stem the tide of misinformation or stop the laws by the first group from seeing the light of the day. Would it make any difference if both parties ever considered a concerted effort? This goes straight to the heart of the dilemma facing stakeholders and policy-makers across not only Africa but the entire world; how to regulate social media while maintaining the trust of people. To go forward, we go back to the foundation, in an effort to understand the pros and cons and find a lasting solution to this dilemma. The immediate past President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the National Coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Internet (www.a4ai.org) and a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) both in Nigeria and London, Olusola Teniola, shares his insights on this dilemma.